


Battery Romance

by IDetestTragedy



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte
Genre: Drama, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance, Smut, sap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-06
Updated: 2012-08-07
Packaged: 2017-11-11 14:46:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/479637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IDetestTragedy/pseuds/IDetestTragedy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abe Takaya x Mihashi Ren relationship from their first kiss to the *ahem* stage. Will love conquer all, including graduation?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kiss and Make Out

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Ookiku Furikabutte is the property of Higuchi Asa
> 
> A/N:   
> First base is commonly understood to be French kissing, but can also mean any mouth-to-mouth kissing, or to an established romantic relationship in general.  
> Second base usually refers to fondling or groping of the female breasts.  
> Third base means fingering or giving a handjob or giving or receiving oral sex.  
> Scoring a Run, Hitting a Home Run (or "scoring", "going all the way", "coming home", "beyond bases" etc.) is sexual intercourse.  
> Fifth Base or "scoring in the dugout" refers to anal intercourse.  
> Pitcher and Catcher are used to describe the participants in male homosexual anal intercourse. (pitcher: seme; catcher: uke)

"I'm sorry, Abe-kun … I'm sorry…," Mihashi Ren's tears dropped as he bandaged Abe Takaya's shin.

"Mihashi," Abe sighed, 'This is the sixth time I tell you: It's all right. These wounds aren't big deals. Stop blaming yourself! Besides, it isn't you who made me fall; it's my own carelessness!'

"B-but you wouldn't have fallen if I had not stupidly gotten my cap stuck on that tree." Mihashi continued to sniffle.

"The wind blew it, Mihashi, and that cap wouldn't have been stuck there today if I didn't make it your birthday present in the first place then!" snorted Abe, but then he managed to soften his tone, reminding himself how prone to crying Mihashi was. "Look, everyone can make mistake. There's no use to fuss over such trivial thing!"

"But … but … the match is coming … it must hurt to run and slide with all those wounds," Mihashi uttered through teary eyes.

"No they won't! These are just scratches; I didn't get any splinter or bone rapture," snapped Abe. Then seeing Mihashi's sob showed no sign of ceasing, Abe added in a gentler tone, "I'm fine—all the tears in the world won't change anything, so don't waste yours!"

Mihashi nodded, but he could not control the fluctuation of his tears. Abe waited. One minutes passed. Rain of tears still tumbled down from Mihashi's cheeks. Two minutes passed. Nothing changed.

At long last, Abe gave out an exasperated sigh. "Why are you still crying?"

"I'm so-sorry … I couldn't … st-stand ssseeing bblood co-coming out f-from you…"

"You are hemophobic?" Abe's tone did not conceal his surprise, yet it was also lucidly laced with concern.

Mihashi shook his head and answered "It's be-because … it's y-you who b-bleed, not … anyone else!"

This rendered Abe astounded. How exactly these simple words made his heart elated he did not know. The rustling heat of the day had gone. Everything inside that school infirmary seemed more beautiful than they were just a few seconds ago—most especially Mihashi's face. It had been pitiful, but somehow, outside Abe's range of awareness, now it evolved into something akin to cuteness. So damn cute that Abe swore that it was not the yakiniku at his favorite shop that he wanted most at that moment, not even the national championship cup given to his team at Koshien, but he would give everything in his possession just to kiss those soft lips of Mihashi.

In gossamer, Abe reached out for Mihashi's head. Tenderly, he patted his teammate and stranded his silky hair.

Mihashi could only gawk. True, Abe could be gentle sometimes, but never _this_ affectionate before. As the weeping boy lifted his chin, his eyes met with his idolized teammate's. There, he could see how his catcher gazed at him endlessly, comforting him with continual glances instead of words.

Before Mihashi could realize it, Abe's swift hands had drawn him closer and closer until their lips were pressed against each other.

Mihashi dared neither to breathe nor to blink. His head was spinning. Shocked. He thought he would find himself a girlfriend one day—a decent, yet modest girl who could accept him as he was; a nurturing-type girl who understood his passion about baseball, and perhaps sometimes cheered for him during his practices, or bring him a homemade _bentou_ , or waited until he finished so that they could go home together.

Mihashi wondered what the tingle that stared to grow in his chest was. Unfamiliar as it was, it certainly did not displease him in the slightest. His hero was kissing him. The catcher's feverish lips were parting his own, with tongue on alert to charge any moment his mouth opened wider.

Abe was the one who welcomed him in the team most. He gave him trust. He sheltered him from fear of betrayals. He promised to be on his side whenever they were on the field. This very Abe restored the joy of baseball which Mihashi had lost during his junior high school years. Above all, it was Mihashi's first time to feel being needed and it was Abe who blatantly declared that he needed him.

A pant finally broke from Mihashi's mouth, as he could no longer hold his breath. Abe was taken aback, awaken from the trance he was under. Both boys withdrew with scarlet cheeks. Silence presided over them.

Abe's eyebrows began to knit in a rising anxiety; judging by the lack of response, Mihashi probably did not want the kiss to happen in the first place. He cursed himself for being a fool. How could he think Mihashi might actually love him? Mihashi had striven so hard to retrieve the birthday present from him, prior to the rescue earlier, but such a thing indicated no bond beyond friendship. None whatsoever. Why didn't he think of the possibility that Mihashi did not love him _that_ way? It was hard enough to keep up a ten-minute conversation with Mihashi. They weren't best pals or anything. In fact, come to think of it, the reason for Mihashi's worry was because the pitcher was simply too _afraid_ to disobey him. Or perhaps he was a bad kisser; it was the first time in his life that he actually kissed someone. He did get numerous love confessions from girls throughout the years, but he flatly refused them since baseball had always been the only love of his life.

Mihashi, on the other hand, regretted that the kiss ended before he had come to his senses and given Abe a proper response. What if Abe thought he disliked being kissed? What if Abe even assume that he accepted the kiss only because of fear and nothing else? Furthermore, he wanted to savor more of how a kiss felt like, as he was lost in thoughts during their kiss earlier.

Eventually, although his face suffused with the deepest shade of crimson, Mihashi braced himself to say, "Um, A-abe-kun, I … I want m-more…"

Whatever Abe had in mind, it was surely not this. No matter how meek Mihashi's voice was, the Nishiura pitcher could not fully conceal the urgency in his tone. The catcher jerked in disbelief. Did he mishear Mihashi's utterance or was it just a wishful thinking, if not a delusion?

On perceiving Abe's jolt, Mihashi hastily added, "I-if you don't mind."

Abe looked intently at the timid pitcher and understood that Mihashi meant his every word. Passion lingered in his eyes.

The catcher smiled in relief and drew a huge breath in preparation for his next kiss; he wanted this kiss to be a prolonged one. The next moment he realized, his partner had already encircled his back with his own avid arms. His lips were already parted and his eyes imploring.

Abe did not waste time to keep Mihashi from waiting. He moved closer, pressing his lips against Mihashi's and chewed his pitcher's lower lip. Amid the rustles of their uniforms, he heard Mihashi moaning and took the opportunity to invade the rather widely gaping mouth with his tongue.

"Mmm…" another muffled moan escaped from Mihashi's mouth, his body shivering from Abe's passionate kiss. The other boy's tongue did a good job teasing his gum and intertwining with his own tongue. Sure there was dominance in Abe's tongue invasion, yet there was no tyranny. Abe retreated when needed, then lunged again, tantalizing Mihashi with caresses and making the eager pitcher crave for more. It wasn't long before Mihashi's trembling fingers started to fumble around Abe's shirt, clinging so desperately.

Both boys were in heat. Their lower bodies had known their need long before their mouths managed to enunciate it. Their faces were all blushing. Their breath was fervent.

While Mihashi received the utmost pleasure and yearned for more, Abe struggled to keep his self-control. As much as he was enthusiastic to please Mihashi, he was also afraid to hurt him. The ace pitcher's flimsy built, delicate skin and silken hair became sweet tortures to his soul.

When the bulge on their pants brushed against each other, heavy with demand and no longer concealable, Abe broke their kiss. He looked at his treasured pitcher, who still stared at him with his imploring eyes. "If we continue, there will be no turning back," Abe gulped, "And … I may not be able to keep myself from hurting you."

However, Mihashi smiled—nervously, but still he smiled! "As long as I'm with you, I won't regret it! I want you, Abe-kun, and only you." With these words, he started to pull off his teammate's shirt.

Amazed though he was, Abe let him. Perhaps Mihashi even loved him more than he thought. ' _It's now or never. Brace yourself, Abe Takaya! Oh boy, who'd have thought I'd be running from first to fifth base in a row within the same day! Furthermore, my baseball pitcher will be my sexual catcher … this is insane, but tempting.'_ Therefore, with no further delay, he also undressed his beloved pitcher.

After no article of clothing hid their nakedness any longer, Abe sat on the bed and pulled Mihashi to stand before him, facing him. He positioned his legs to snuggle between Mihashi's parted thighs while caressing Mihashi's lower back with his hands.

Abe took a secret pleasure in enjoying the view of Mihashi's bare body. Too teary and wimpy to be a sportsman as he was, Mihashi did have the proper built for a baseball athlete, thanks to his rigorous training.

When Mihashi looked at Abe's nude body, however, he felt embarrassed. Surely he had seen naked men in public bath before, or men in swimsuits on the beach or pool, yet he never felt … _this_ way. What was it in Abe that made him so special?

Abe kissed Mihashi's balls and nibbled them playfully in turn. Mihashi whimpered and God … how Abe loved those cute squeaks! While Abe's mouth worked with Mihashi's front, his hands were busying themselves groping and squeezing Mihashi's butts.

Abe licked the length of Mihashi's member before smooching its head. When he sheathed Mihashi's flesh with his tepid, cavernous mouth, the pitcher gave out a loud gasp. He quickly cast an anxious glance at Abe, worrying in case his catcher was annoyed by his noise. But he found him smirking instead and continued sucking the column of flesh to and fro, while his hands caressing Mihashi's buttocks and upper thighs.

Mihashi emitted another gasp when Abe's hands stretched the cheeks of Mihashi's rear.

"Oh!" Abe prodded his finger into Mihashi's tight hole. Mihashi breathed hard as Abe's finger moved inside him.

"Aah!" This time Abe inserted his second finger. Their movements were alternating from straight to scissoring. Mihashi grabbed Abe hard on the shoulders.

"Aaa-abe-kun!" Tears dripped from Mihashi's eyes as Abe slipped his third finger into Mihashi as well. Mihashi ejaculated straightaway and his back arched so much that he even stood on his toes, trembling with excitement.

It certainly had never crossed Abe's mind to swallow a boy's semen, but with Mihashi today somehow he wanted to. Mihashi cried in disbelief, "No! Oh Abe-kun, I'm so sorry … I didn't mean to…" But Abe would not remove his mouth from Mihashi's erection. He kept on sucking and swallowing, milking Mihashi's engorged member with the twist of his tongue and the walls of his mouth. He even licked the flesh clean afterwards, wasting no drop of semen.

"A-abe-kun?" Mihashi called with a quivering voice of at least one octave higher.

Eyes brimming with desire, Abe gazed at his teammate as though he had been the most beautiful creature in the universe. "Mihashi," he said, "I need you. I need more of you."

Mihashi was glad that Abe was not angry with him for coming inside his mouth, but somehow he couldn't feel relieved yet. His hunch was right. Abe pulled Mihashi's arms so that the poor pitcher now fell sitting on the catcher's lap with his legs spread open.

Gripping his pitcher's hips, Abe lifted Mihashi briefly, only to drop him against his hard-rock manhood. The moment Abe's erection penetrated Mihashi's anal sphincter, the pitcher screamed aloud. The brown-haired boy's face flushed more than ever, his chest heaving and his whole body tensing up. It was not until Mihashi's trembling fingers clung desperately onto Abe's nape that Abe, as though awaken from a dream, became aware that his flesh was inside Mihashi. _Inside_.

The Nishiura catcher heard the other boy's heartbeat pounding as loudly as his own. The dark-haired boy had to strive to restrain his balls, quaking with bursting energy. The sensation of Mihashi's super tight cave sheathing his shaft was something new and exhilarating. It spurred him with some unknown stamina, probably enough to run twenty laps around the baseball field without stopping. There was nothing else he wanted to do more than to fill Mihashi with this virile essence.

Nevertheless, Mihashi seemed to be in serious pain. His intakes of breath were sharp and shallow, and his eyes even welled up with tears. Still, the slimmer boy tried his best not to whimper, not wanting his hero to change his mind about the sex—no matter how painful it was for him to endure the penetration.

The Nishiura ace catcher gritted his teeth; the heated tightness squeezing his flesh was so intense that his stomach tightened. Abe had always found it difficult not to finish the few nuts left in the bag, but currently, fighting the urge not to thrust powerfully into his partner required self-control in an even far higher degree.

"Mihashi…" Abe wiped the two streams of tears on his partner's cheeks.

Mihashi's tears ceased flowing, but his face was still contorted with pain.

"Mihashi…" Abe called again.

"A … be … kun…" Amidst ragged breathing, the brunet managed to voice his partner's name.

"Is it too painful? Do you want me to stop?"

"NO!" Shaking his head earnestly, Mihashi grasped Abe's back very tightly, much like a kindergarten boy holding on to the slide on the playground when his mother called him home. "Don't stop!"

Abe studied his partner's expression, trying to decide whether the other boy said so out of fear of disappointing him or of genuine feelings. Mihashi had, after all, never refused his words before, be it a casual remark or an order.

"I'm all right," claimed the Nishiura pitcher. "Please don't stop!"

The raven-haired boy gazed concernedly at his partner. He had previously thought he had known the depth of Mihashi's devotion for him, but he had been wrong all along; it never occurred to him that Mihashi would go as far as enduring pain for his sake. Determined to answer to Mihashi's feelings equally, the Nishiura ace catcher traced his fingers along the brunet's jawline. Abe pulled Mihashi's chin and leaned to kiss the shorter boy's lips again. He would not cease until he felt less contraction in the brunet's muscles. Although he felt the urge to rock his body, he kept it still, so as to give Mihashi enough time to familiarize himself with the occupancy of his flesh.

Soothed by Abe's affectionate kisses, Mihashi eventually relaxed enough to loosen his grip from Abe's back. Better still, he even started to swerve his hips and tilted his own legs onto the bed, encircling Abe's hips. He gazed at Abe, asking for his approval with words unspoken.

Abe encouraged his lover by groping the latter on the rear mounds, pressing and fondling them to create rhythm on Mihashi's ardent panting. ' _Mihashi, do you feel a part of me inside you? Do you feel what I feel?'_

Abe went deeper—as deep as his flesh allowed him to penetrate Mihashi's innermost part—until he felt his balls knocking against his partner's crotch, right outside the hole.

' _I'm sorry for scaring you so often. I'm sorry for making you obey me to such degree. I'm sorry for robbing you from the independence of thinking in all those practice and official games.'_

"Aah—Abe-kun!" Mihashi's head tipped back, his limbs writhing with needs.

' _But the truth is, I want you to look at me and me only. Unfair, isn't it? You're the ace pitcher, and still I want to monopolize you for myself?'_

Abe drew Mihashi's head onto his own, claiming him fully on the mouth. He could see how much pain Mihashi tried to endure shown in those brown eyes while his member was fully immersed in his partner's body, but he was not going to hold back his onslaught of kisses. His tongue delved inside the other boy's mouth, plundering, ravishing, seducing, tantalizing mercilessly.

' _There's no helping it; I've become_ this _addicted to you, Mihashi!'_

Their eyes met until, out of embarrassment, Mihashi shut his own. But Abe grasped him in a tighter embrace, accelerating his pace. The penetrations became harder and faster; each thrust was coated with passion and desire. His hips bucked wildly. Every muscle, every sinew of his body was no longer within his control. They all belonged to Lust—his own and his partner's. Mihashi's intakes of breath became sweet music to Abe's ears and his submissive expression spurred his lover with even more eagerness.

' _Won't you let me take care of you forever, Mihashi?'_

Mihashi grasped the sheet with his toes. Just as Abe emptied himself within him, he spurted his load onto his partner's chest and stomach. He held Abe more tightly in a shivering embrace. Tears emanated from his eyes as he murmured his beloved's name.

Abe's face was instantly drained of its color; what had he done! He had just hurt his pitcher again! He opened his mouth to apologize, but Mihashi, who was still sitting on his lap, beat him into it, "Abe-kun, I'm so happy to have my first time with you."

On hearing this, the worried look on the openmouthed Nishiura ace catcher dissolved into a relieve smile. He patted Mihashi's hair and whispered to his lover's ear, "Then call me 'Takaya' from now on, Ren."

"Y-yes Ab … I mean Takaya-kun." Mihashi's blush turned into a deeper shade of crimson.

Abe grabbed Mihashi's nape and push his lover's face against his own, kissing the baseball pitcher directly on the lips. "And no honorific '-kun' either! From now on, I'll punish you with a kiss for every -kun you pronounce even if I have to do so I front of our team."

"O-oh okay, Ta … takaya." Mihashi gulped, as he tried to push aside the vision of how their coach and team mates would react upon seeing such a scene.

But Abe planted another kiss on Mihashi's lips.

"I didn't … say the prohibited words, Ab … Takaya!" Mihashi said in a welter of feelings: confusion; embarrassment—though, by any means, not displeased with the kiss; and worry—in case he did something wrong and upset the Nishiura ace catcher.

"You think just because you didn't give me reason to kiss you, I won't kiss you? How naïve! You're too damn cute to be left un-kissed." With that, another of Abe's kisses landed on Mihashi's lips.

Sex had been as tiring as hell, and added with all these heavenly kisses from Abe, Mihashi did not really want to get up from the other boy's lap, but it was already sunset; the school ground might be locked any moment now. Hence, reluctantly, he rose to his feet, trying his best not to wince at the post-coital agony that throbbed inside his lower region.

However, Abe must have noticed this, for he left some more kisses on Mihashi's body as he and Mihashi dressed each other. Whether it was Mihashi's fingers snaking on his hair or the mention of his name in-between Mihashi's labored breathings or Mihashi's abrupt eye-shut followed by his fingers fumbling to grasp Abe's shirt, Abe could not decide which one he enjoyed least.

When the catcher and the pitcher left their school infirmary hand-in-hand, the sun had started to set below the horizon, marking the end of the day. Yet, deep inside their hearts, they knew this was only the beginning of their romance.


	2. The Salvaging Salve & The Lulling Lube

 PART I

**The Salvaging Salve**

Immersed in the warm water of his _õfuro_ bathtub at home, Mihashi Ren let his mind wander.

Earlier that afternoon, he and Abe-kun—oops … Takaya—were sharing their first kiss and lovemaking. Takaya also asked him to call each other by given name without honorific, saying that he'd "punish" Ren with a _kiss_ each time he called him "Abe-kun."

Even now, Ren still found it difficult to believe what happened between Takaya and him that day had been real, had it not been for the stinging pain in his lower region. The activity had been purely unplanned; therefore, they had used no lube, lotion, or anything which could have acted as its substitute.

Takaya had been gentlemanly enough to take responsibility of his action, though. Not only had he escorted Ren home, but he had also considerately slowed his pace all the way from school to the fence of Mihashi's residence, aware of how much Ren had suppressed his winces from the rectal pain with each step. The Nishiura catcher had not asked "Are you all right?" for he could have guessed that Ren would have lied for his sake. Nevertheless, Takaya's concerned gazes had showed all the affection Ren needed.

###

As Ren toweled his hair, he heard his mother calling him downstairs, "Ren, Abe-kun is here!"

' _WHAT! WHY?'_ Ren hurriedly finished buttoning his pajama and dashed towards the doorway. His lower part hurt him again as he ran, but this was not his main concern right now; Takaya was!

When he saw his _boyfriend_ on the house entrance, he hesitated on what to call him. His mother was right there, standing next to Takaya. Eventually, after gulping, he enunciated, "G-good evening, Takaya!" He felt his cheeks blazing at the articulation of the greeting, but decided this did not matter as much as Takaya's satisfied grin.

Ren led Takaya to his bedroom. As soon as he closed the door behind them, the catcher had started to kiss him before he even had the chance to ask what had brought Takaya there. Melting in his boyfriend's embrace, Ren couldn't help but moan when their kiss ended.

"That was a kiss for complimenting your courage of calling my given name in your mother's presence," explained Takaya.

' _So … for punishment, compliment, or no reason at all, Takaya will still shower me with kisses,'_ Ren thought through half-lidded eyes. _Going out with Takaya will surely brighten my days.'_

Next, Ren drew his face closer and leaned to kiss his boyfriend. Takaya, who was more than happy to perceive Ren had this kind of initiative, returned the kiss as eagerly.

"Was that a payback kiss or something?" asked Takaya after the heated kiss came to completion.

With tints of pink, Ren shook his head. "You … always make me happy with your kisses … I want to know how you and I feel if … if I initiate the kiss."

Now it became Takaya's turn to smile: Ren had just said he had _always_ been happy when Takaya kissed him! When Takaya caressed Ren's jawline, ready to launch yet another kiss, however, there was a knock on the door. Both boys quickly withdrew. Ren's mother came in to bring them snacks and drinks.

As his mother closed the door again and left, Ren wondered whether Takaya would proceed to what had been interrupted. The visitor rummaged his bag instead.

"Actually I've come for this." He handed down two containers to Ren.

Ren beamed at the first container: it was a soothing salve—Takaya's gentleness did not end with escorting him home, but went as far as concerning himself with Ren's comfort. Ren imagined how embarrassing it must have been for a lone high-schooler to enter the pharmacist to look for that specific item. Furthermore, Takaya had to travel here and there after he had been sapped of energy from their make out session.

"T-thank you, Takaya."

Ren's face flushed as he noticed the second container: it was a lubricant. Did this mean Takaya was actually preparing for their next time?

Ren sank his head with gaze transfixed to the floor. He dared not steal a glance to his boyfriend after he gave him a … a … a l-lu … well…

Takaya could guess as much and was determined not to touch the subject until they really needed the lube. Now, though, there was a more pressing matter.

"Your body must hurt. Here, let me apply this." He reached for the salve.

Ren did not do a thing as Takaya unsealed the container, other than watching his boyfriend, heart beating faster with each step Takaya took. He squirmed as Takaya lowered his pants, nevertheless.

Temped though Takaya was to touch Ren's exposed bottoms immediately, he gathered his arms around Ren's shoulders instead. It was not a lustful embrace, but an assuring one, followed by a peck on Ren's pajama-covered back.

Next, positioning his mouth right behind his lover's nape, Takaya whispered "Ren, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"I-I know…," replied the timid pitcher. ' _But that doesn't mean I don't get embarrassed to display my butts.'_

Ren gasped as the soothingly-cold salve touch his sore opening. This, however, was not his only reason for the gasp. The fact that it was Takaya's finger which smeared the salve, invading his inner walls once again, was the one that drove him crazy.

"Am I hurting you?" Takaya's voice was laced with concern as he withdrew his finger.

Ren's blush deepened. "No! It feels good, so I just …without thinking … I mean … sorry."

Takaya had the grace to blush before responding, "OK, I'm going to continue, but let me know if you feel uncomfortable."

It was not until Ren had nodded did Takaya go on with the salve application. More than twice, he heard Ren catch his breath. The mere sound stirred his loins, but he fought the urge to have his way with his boyfriend more than he was now. The sensation of his pitcher's smooth skin and sighs of pleasure almost betrayed his resolve for many times.

"See you tomorrow!" Takaya told Ren when he had returned Ren's pants in position. Another minute in the same room with his beloved pitcher, whose buttocks had been bare just a moment before, might really turn him into a beast.

"Um … yes, see you." Ren made his insincere reply, reluctant to part from Takaya.

As Takaya approached the exit, Ren chased him. He kissed Takaya's cheek lightly and said "Thank you, Takaya!" before letting his boyfriend go.

Fortunately Takaya met no one he knew on the way home; otherwise, he would be questioned why he kept on grinning.

###

The next morning, when Ren reapplied the salve himself, he felt a totally different sensation from when Takaya actually did it for him. How he missed his boyfriend so bad…

While biking to school, Ren mused on how his team mates would react when he called "Takaya." His mother assumed that the two of them had become closer friends and considered this a good thing, but his team mates wouldn't be fooled that easily. Ren couldn't focus his mind fully on this issue, however, since the friction between the bicycle saddle and his bottoms as he pedaled induced some proctalgia, severe enough to be concerned about.

At school, before the Nishiura boys started their morning practice, Ren's eyes scanned through the field. He could not find Takaya there and inside him there were mixed feelings of simultaneous trepidation, anticipation, disappointment and relief.

"Morning, Mihashi! You look troubled," Izumi greeted the ace pitcher.

"I … nothing. I'm fine, Izumi-kun."

But the center fielder's reply was "If you're looking for Abe, he's just helping Shinooka carrying our new equipments."

Ren felt a lump in his throat at the mention of Abe's name. Everyone in the baseball club knew how dependant he was to this catcher, but surely they did not think he and Takaya were love couple, or did they?

"Just put them right there, Abe-kun!" Ren heard Momoe's instruction from afar.

Ren turned his head and saw the one he had been wanting and not wanting to see most. The mere sight of the catcher sent hot tingles onto his cheeks.

Ren gulped. "G-good mmmorning…" he continued barely above a whisper, "… Takaya," he said these words while Takaya was passing him after laying the sport equipments on the designated spot, trying to make his voice as imperceptible as possible to anyone but his relevant speaking adversary. The blush on his face deepened.

Takaya smirked. But, unlike Ren whose gaze was currently fixed to the ground, Takaya noticed that some eyes were starting to focus on them. Ren's near whisper greeting raised their suspicion of a possible catcher-pitcher's after-fight make up. On the other hand, Izumi who stood barely more than a meter from them seemed to have heard Ren mentioning "Takaya" and was quite amused.

' _Rather than letting the team suspect our relationship and tease Ren, I might as well let them know now.'_ With this in thought, Takaya moved closer to his lover, said, "Good morning, Ren!" and leaned to kiss the pitcher— _his_ pitcher. He even placed his hands on Ren's back to prevent the nervous boy from running away.

It was neither a long-lingering kiss burnt with passion nor a swift feather-light kiss often exchanged between relatives, but a kiss that lasted just enough to be witnessed.

All who were in the field were astounded; Oki even dropped his bat. Nevertheless, seconds later, some managed to blink and got back to their activities, while others responded to this show.

When they broke the kiss, Takaya wore a satisfied smile; he had just marked his "property." Now no one would dare to snatch Ren without facing him in the open—not even Tajima, who, despite his lack of interest in Ren from romantic angle, managed to understand the pitcher better than the rest of the team. A part of Takaya was actually happy to see how Ren could get along well with their team mates, yet his darker side could not deny the jealousy that bit him each time this other catcher accomplished something he couldn't with Ren.

Ren, contrarily, could not muster his courage to face anyone. He had been oblivious of the world the moment Takaya's lips brushed against his own. Yet now that their kiss had ended and his senses had returned to him, he realized that he was in one of the most embarrassing situations in his life. He shut his eyes tight and buried himself in Takaya's embrace, clinging on the catcher's shirt. Takaya snaked his fingers in Ren's hair and pecked his beloved's scalp. Only then did Ren calm down a little. No matter what the situation might be, he'd be okay as long as Takaya was on his side.

Tajima let out a loud whistle, which was quickly hushed by Hanai. Izumi beamed with joy. Mizutani nudged Sakaeguchi, "See, I told you!" Momoe grinned widely. Shinooka covered her mouth with both hands. Shiga adjusted his glasses. Hamada and some members of his cheering squad, who dropped by to watch the baseball club practice, sang the school hymn to congratulate the new couple.

When the team formed a circle and meditated, Ren couldn't concentrate. The scene of Abe kissing him with everyone watching kept replaying in his mind. Worse still, there was also some voice reverberating inside his head "I, Abe Takaya, take you, Mihashi Ren, to be my wedded wife; to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish—" NO! What on earth was he thinking about?! Just because Takaya kissed him in public, it didn't mean they'll get m-mm-marr...Oh God! Why did such silly idea invade to his brain? They didn't even have their first date yet!

But he did not need to wait for long for the date request. "Ren…," he heard Takaya called after practice, before they were heading to the locker room, "… are you free this Sunday?"

* * *

 PART II

**The Wet Dreams**

On Monday, while changing his outdoor shoes with the indoor _uwabaki_ ones, Takaya heard other students" conversation from behind the row of lockers. One of the girls happened to have her first date yesterday too.

"It was like a dream," she told her friends.

Takaya personally, inwardly, disagreed with this. Everything had been so real to him: every stolen glance, every nervous touch, every passionate kiss, every beam of joy… Truly, he never appreciated how extraordinary an ordinary amusement park could turn out to be before he spent his time there in Ren's company.

###

That evening, everyone had gone home, except for the two souls who occupied the Nishiura baseball club room.

Something was definitely wrong here. Takaya was calling him "Mihashi" instead of "Ren", but it wasn't quite like the old times. There was something in his tone—something wanton; in fact, never Ren dared to imagine that his boyfriend could be _this_ seductive.

Takaya led Ren to the nearby table so that the latter leaned on it on his stomach. There, he started to undo Ren's pants and lower them to ankle-height.

Ren shuddered, but said nothing. It was not his nature to say "no" to Takaya in comment, suggestion, instruction, bidding, order, or anything he said at all. He merely gulped when Takaya yanked his shirt, spread the cheeks of his bottom, traced his anal groove and rimmed his hole with his tongue. He wanted to tell his boyfriend "No, that's dirty!" but when he glanced and perceived the upper part of Takaya's head emerging from the crook between his bottoms, the only sound that came out of his mouth was a low moan.

The anilingus was soon followed by fingering. Ren gripped the edge of the table as Takaya's relentless fingers did whatever they pleased inside his private tunnel. More moans of pleasure escaped from his mouth.

When Takaya withdrew his fingers to replace them with his shaft, Ren cast an anxious glance; the last time Takaya penetrated him was painful. And, sure enough, Ren made a jerky movement the moment Takaya's dick whumped his rectum. The sharp twinge of anguish was present this time too, but rapture that followed compensated for it with lots of interests. Ren tipped his head back as his boyfriend's thick column of flesh progressed deeper and deeper into his innermost cavern.

Ren thought being taken from the back, like how dogs and many other animals mated, would be downright scary. But with Takaya today, he was unsure which was scarier: the rear entrance or if Takaya quitted the rear entrance coupling. When Takaya's dick pierced him, he sensed there was not only flesh invasion but also flow of affection on each thrust. Takaya's legs shoved his own; to and fro they went continually despite his weakened stance. Yet, strangely, this gave him another form of gratification. As Takaya's twin balls bounced against his crotch, the world whirled around him. There was only him and Takaya; everything else blurred into nothingness.

"Ta … haa … ka … ahh … yaaa…!"

Takaya's hands were on Ren's hips now, rocking them to match the pace of his penetration. He kept on plunging his manhood into his lover's moist flesh, fiercer with each movement. One of his hands recurrently stroked the length of his partner's genital while simultaneously focusing on the backdraft that was building itself inside him. As Takaya filled Ren with his seeds, he secured Ren's body onto his own by embracing him on the chest with his other hand.

"Aaaaahhh…!

Eventually, after the gush of semen left Takaya and Ren's shafts, and exhaustion took over them both, the Nishiura ace battery collapsed onto the table. Lying atop his lover, Takaya interlaced their fingers and cooed "I love you" very softly onto Ren's nape. Both were panting, so the three words were almost imperceptible, but instinct got the better of Ren's hearing sensor this time, and he was more than happy to discern Takaya's confession.

Unfortunately, this happiness was not meant to last very long. Ren woke up with wet underpants. ' _This erotic dream must be the aftermath of our latest kiss_ ,' he concluded.

Only yesterday Takaya had pinned him onto his own locker door in the baseball club room. The catcher gazed at him with unwavering eyes, as if he could care for nothing else in the world—such was the power of his desire. Takaya's forearms were pressing against the locker, sandwiching his pitcher's body and blocking him from every escape. Ren perceived Takaya's face drew closer and his heart thumped really loud. Why hadn't he realized that his lover was such ahandsome boy before?

Embarrassed, Ren closed his eyes while letting Takaya's lips touch his own. Judging from Takaya's earlier gesture, he thought his boyfriend would kiss him voraciously, but instead, the kiss turned out to be the gentlest kiss he had ever received. Their kisses had trained his patience and technique. No longer had Ren been able to detect even the slightest force in Takaya's kiss; instead, the kiss was overflowing with restrained passion. Restrained to invade without bothering Ren. Restrained to give him all the pleasure he needed in such a tantalizing way. Restrained to make him crave for more … and more … and more!

Ren could not suppress his sigh when their kiss ended. His hands were encircling Takaya's back and he did not even realize when he had set them to move there.

"Takaya…" Ren murmured as he nuzzled his head to his boyfriend's neck.

For the first time in his life Takaya felt he could compete with Tajima for interpreting Ren's words after all. Just now, Ren told him "Takaya, that was the best kiss I've ever had." with words unspoken. This was enough to make Takaya smile, and he did so with both arms keeping his love in an arduous embrace.

' _Two more days till weekend_ ,' Takaya reminded himself. When the time came, he could visit his pitcher overnight; Ren's parents were happy to let him befriend their son. For now, though, he'd have to settle with a mere hug.

###

All naked, Ren was lying flat on his stomach. Takaya gulped. He was unsure he could keep the mighty monster inside him under control—a monster named "Lust."

Ren's skin was smooth, smoother than the bed sheet underneath his body. He called Takaya by his name. So desperate. So importunate. So … soothing!

With a new wave of pleasure unfurled within him, Takaya trailed the skin of Ren's back, first with his fingers, then with his lips. How he admired all the curves and lines of the small of Ren's back and anal groove! Ren couldn't help sighing as he sensed Takaya's torrid breath along his own skin.

"Oh T-ta-takaya, we mustn't. It's not weekend yet and it's troublesome to go to school wobbling and play baseball limping."

But if Ren meant his every word, he wouldn't have been stark naked in the first place, would he? Furthermore, Ren's resistance only whetted Takaya's passion. Losing every bit of self-restraint, Takaya tilted Ren's stomach with one hand and massaged Ren's most private member with the other. In the inside, Ren was trembling with desire; on the outside he was flushing with scarlet.

Takaya smirked on hearing Ren's wanton sighs. If his lover was getting _this_ turned on by his mere kisses and caresses, what would become of him later, when they did the " _real thing_ "?

Like a tortoise shell, Takaya tucked himself above Ren. Like a silent predator ready to devour his helpless prey, Takaya lunged forward. With a thud, he buried himself to the hilt within his partner. He wanted to conquer Ren completely. To enthrall him. To cosset him. To own him even.

"Mmmph!" the bed sheets had stifled Ren's muffled gasp before it fully reached Takaya's ears.

Takaya crept even closer to Ren so that not only his lower half, but also the rest of his body aligned with his partner's, making the other boy shudder with renewed desire. Then, tilting Ren's chin with one of his hands, and with a voice quieter yet deeper than usual, he whispered "I want to hear your voice" at the crook of his lover's neck.

The scarlet shade on Ren's face now even turned to deepest crimson. Nonetheless, Takaya was not was nowhere near ceasing from his invasion. He pushed Ren downward although there was no further place Ren could reach, since his frontal part was glued to Takaya's bed. Takaya tugged only to plunge himself within Ren again, firmer and steadier with each journey.

Small, restrained sighs of "Ah!"s began to surface from Ren's throat.

"Louder!" hissed Takaya, both commanding and teasing at the same time.

"But…," panted Ren.

"I said I wanted to hear you—loud and clear." Takaya's lower part rolled ardently to make sure his words were to be obeyed with the most seductive possible method.

"Nnnoo … oooohhh! Haa!"

Ren's inner tightness felt so good; it squeezed him to no end while his dick was ramming Ren's hole with distinctive squelching sounds. Takaya doubt there would ever be the day when he had enough of Ren. Overwhelmed by venereal need, he thrust vehemently. Ren, on the contrary, thought that his back and abdomen might burst any second now. The bed was creaking under their rigorous movements.

"Takayaaaa … please … aahhh!"

If an outsider had watched this scene, it would have been hard to tell whether Ren meant "please stop" or "please don't stop". Takaya, however, knew better of his partner's nature without even seeing the sultriness that was written all over Ren's face.

When Takaya poured himself within Ren, Ren gripped the bed sheet really hard. Another pleasurable whine resounded, "Takayaaa!"

Takaya thought he heard Ren screaming his name, but ended up waking up in a jerk as his mother shouted, "Takaya, get up; or you'll be late!" outside his room.

Cleansing the sticky substance between his legs, Takaya pondered. Was he, deep inside, this possessive and dominating towards Ren? If he really was, would Ren be bothered? No, he wouldn't let him! Making mental notes to be as gentle as possible during their upcoming lovemaking, Takaya got up.

That morning Takaya hastened to school. If he arrived a few minutes earlier, he might steal a chance to seduce— _ahem_ —correction, _kiss_ Ren. Today was Friday; he could keep all his seduction for tomorrow, and even made his wet dream come true, when he spent the night at Ren's room.

Takaya got his morning kiss all right, but things did not go as planned after that. Ren told him that Kanou would come to spend the evening with him, so he needed to cancel the supposedly date after school with Takaya.

"I-I'm sorry Takaya … I received his text message the day before yesterday, but forgot to tell you."

Suppressing his sigh, Takaya agreed to let Ren go. He had carefully examined his and Ren's schedule, when the both of them had the least amount of homework and no test before choosing the day for their second date. Yet, he could not turn a blind eye to the fact that Kanou had come all the way from Mihoshi. Besides, he, Takaya, was Ren's boyfriend; he was supposed to make him happy instead of limiting his freedom.

That evening, Takaya set off to the sport shop on his own. He needed a new pair of sneakers and was originally going to ask Ren to accompany him choosing them before going to the cinema. Much to his surprise, however, he saw Ren and Kanou there, as well, two shelves away from him. The atmosphere between them was very intimate—or, more precisely, it was from _his_ point of view, anyway.

A pang of jealousy subdued Takaya when he perceived Ren smiling to Kanou. He did not find it this painful when Ren smiled to Tajima, Hanai, or any of their other team mates. But then again, they knew Takaya was dating Ren and their team mates had no romantic feeling for either of them. With Kanou, on the other hand, there was no such guarantee. _And what's more, Ren didn't stammer as much when he's with Kanou than when he's with me_ , thought Takaya.

Before Takaya finished sorting out his feeling, however, he saw Ren tripping over the wet floor. A customer had accidentally spilled water from his bottle while shopping earlier and the shopkeeper had not noticed this, so the floor was left unmopped. Takaya hurried to Ren's rescue, but Kanou, who was only a couple of steps away from Ren, had already managed to catch the Nishiura's ace pitcher before he fell to the floor.

"Thank you, Shuu-chan." The distance between their faces was barely more than five inches as Ren said this to Kanou.

Takaya could not bear to see the rest. Ignoring Ren's call for him, he ran off, grabbed his bike and went straight home, where he sulked in his room, playing music loudly.

* * *

PART III

**The Lulling Lube**

The next day, Takaya's anger had not fully subsided. He avoided talking to Ren unless he really needed to; naturally, this meant he abstained from touching Ren too. He replied that nothing went wrong when Ren asked why Takaya was angry with him.

"And Ren," Takaya added, "I'd better not stay at yours tonight. There's an extra assignment for Biology."

"You could … do it at m-my room," suggested Ren.

"I don't want to."

And yet, Ren did not give up. He might be timid in many aspects of life, but he could be as adamant as needed when it came to involve baseball or a certain Abe Takaya. After practice, when Takaya was in the toilet, he hid his mitt. As a result, Takaya still had to search for it even when everybody else had gone home. Takaya opened every locker, checked all equipments, peeked under the table and lifted the bench; still he could not find his mitt.

The club room door slid open to reveal Ren with Takaya's mitt in his hand.

"Oh, you found it. Thanks." Takaya tried to sound as casual as possible as reached for the mitt.

"Actually … I-I hid your mitt, _Abe-kun_ ," Ren spoke in a tremulous voice, still grasping Takaya's mitt.

Takaya was clearly surprised to hear this, but spoke nothing.

Hence, Ren gripped Takaya's hand while the latter was retrieving the mitt and, bracing himself, said "W-well, I've just called you " _Abe-kun_ "; where's my punishment?"

"That isn't necessary now," Takaya answered icily and left.

"I knew it… You're mad at me," Ren's voice caught him before he reached the door.

Takaya took a sharp breath. "I'm not mad _at_ you." ' _I'm mad_ about _you_.'

"Takaya, i-if you're bothered … with what happened yesterday, let me tell you this… There is nothing between Kanou-kun and me… He saved me from tripping. It's not like he was trying to kiss me or anything. In fact, he's got a girlfriend in Mihoshi… He was only here to buy a new bat, but he forgot the address of that shop and asked me to show him the way… You left in a hurry before I could explain the situation… He went back right after that."

"I could guess as much that you didn't cheat on me," Takaya answered with a sigh.

"T-then … why are you angry with me?"

"I told you I wasn't angry with you." ' _I was angry with myself. For wanting to monopolize you so much. For being jealous over such triviality. For loving you.'_ But there was no way Takaya could tell Ren any of these.

As no further explanation came from his boyfriend, Ren spoke with trembling voice, "Mm-may … may I kiss you … at the very least?"

"Go ahead!" was what Takaya answered, but Ren's feet had already brought him closer to Takaya even before the words tore from Takaya's lips.

Ren's lips were shivering as they kissed, but what perturbed Takaya were the tears emanating from the corners of his eyes.

"Don't leave … I love you." It was Ren who said this, and the moment he did, his words captivated Takaya like magic.

The power to articulate tongue got the better of Takaya, as the sentence "I'll never leave you, Ren." had escaped from his mouth before he willed it.

Takaya was clueless of how Ren's plea made him say such an embarrassing line. He felt becoming more and more similar to a character in his mother's favorite soap opera. Still, he did not regret saying it.

Takaya thought back of the day when Ren, drenched with cold sweat and kept lowering his gaze, said "Without you … I … I am … I am just a pitcher."

"That's not true!"

"It … it … it is! I'm … just … a pitcher. If you … don't catch for me, once again I'll become … a drag."

Takaya's jaw dropped. Nevertheless, a few seconds later, he asked back, "If I catch, will you become a good pitcher?"

"Ye-yes." Determination was building up in Ren's voice more than ever and he straightened his eye level, meeting Takaya's. That was the first time Ren said anything good about himself and Takaya found himself grinning for this very reason.

"In that case, I won't get injured for three years! I won't get sick either! I'll be the catcher in all the games you play!"

Three years. That was the length of their "contract." But right now Takaya really wanted to extend the promised three years into a lifetime, and not only in baseball, but also in domestic life.

Meanwhile, Ren's face gave out a deep crimson color at Takaya's intense look. He started to lower his eyes, trying to flinch from the ravenous youth before him. A futile attempt!

Takaya did not let him flee from his clutch. Placing one hand at Ren's upper back and the other on the small of the back, Takaya tilted Ren's chin with his lips so that _his_ ace's face became kissable.

Takaya did not use any teasing for this particular kiss. The kiss was compact with intensity, incisive enough to pierce his beloved's heart with plethora of " _I love you_ "s. And the wordless conveyance successfully reached Ren.

Only Takaya and Takaya alone was the key to Ren's door of solicitude. He showed him the meaning of a true team mate. He was the first to answer "I do" when Momoe asked the team whether they wanted Ren as their ace pitcher. Although Ren told him that he liked him when Takaya held his hand and acknowledged him as a good pitcher before their practice game with Mihoshi, he meant it as a friend and a team mate, not as a boyfriend. Ren felt seriously guilty when he, out of fear, did not reply Takaya's text message after the match with Tosei. Still, Takaya forgave him.

True, he never fantasized flirting with a boy before his first intimacy with Takaya a week before. In fact, Takaya was closer to a heroic figure than a real boyfriend to him. He even used to think that the racing of his heartbeat every time Takaya happened to touch him was induced by fear rather than love. Yet, as time went by, he learned that friendship had transcended through the boundary between admiration and affection.

"Takaya…" Ren panted, desire flaring in his eyes.

"We'll have to hang on until we reach your house," Takaya gave his reply through restrained pants.

Ren jerked. Since when has Takaya become more and more like Tajima—comprehending his unspoken words and all?

Thus, the two boys had their dinner and took their shower as soon as they arrived at Mihashi's residence. Unlike Takaya, who stripped in an instant, Ren detached the clothes from his body slowly. In fact, his face flushed as he began to take off his shirt.

This was not the first time Takaya saw Ren naked, but he couldn't help being fascinated by his lover's nudity. The "blushing bride" was so tempting! ' _Soon … soon…'_ Takaya kept reminding himself at nearly every minute.

Ren was concerned with not so different matter. ' _Don't stand up … don't stand up!'_ He certainly didn't want his genital to get aroused by Takaya's mere stare.

"I'll wash your back." Takaya offered and Ren nodded. _Better back than front_.

Takaya did not do anything perverted. However, as Ren took his turn to wash Takaya's back, he noticed that his boyfriend's manhood had hardened.

Instinctively, the Nishiura ace pitcher knelt and licked the tip of his catcher's shaft.

Takaya groaned "You don't … need … to…"

"I want to. You did it to me once … I want to know how it feels."

Ren continued to lick the length of his partner's hard-rock member. Takaya breathed laboriously. Ren kissed and nibbled Takaya's balls one by one. Takaya clenched his fists. Ren coated his boyfriend's engorged erection with his mouth and milked it with back and forth movements. Takaya surrendered with a grunt whereas Ren swallowed what he harvested.

While walking to his room, Ren wondered whether Takaya would do his school assignment first, play cards, put on some music, or…

Not unexpectedly, the answer turned out to be: "or…"

"Time to put the lube into use," Takaya broke the silence.

Ren could only blush. Nonetheless, he opened his drawer and handed the lube to Takaya. He wondered if the sensation was similar to when Takaya had applied the salve nine days before … how he missed it! However, Takaya did not use the lube immediately. Instead, he landed multiple ardent kisses on Ren's lips at the rustle of their discarded pajamas. Weak on the knees, Ren let Takaya carry him to bed, bridal-style. There, Takaya laid Ren gingerly, ensuring his hands pillowed his lover's body while putting him down supine on the mattress.

Next, Takaya methodically ascended Ren's body with his tongue, ghosting lightly over his torso before allowing their lips to connect. The Nishiura ace catcher was proficient at touching Ren in all the desirable spots. Every kiss, every tiny nip and lick set his passion aflame. Without him knowing it, his hips had begun to wiggle in rapture whereas his limbs spread fully open, welcoming Takaya by granting him access to quench his lust. Takaya did not waste this opportunity: he lowered his mouth to one of Ren's parted thighs and let his lecherous hands trailed down Ren's legs.

"Haa…"

Ren's sigh of pleasure was the one which stimulated Takaya's resurgent passion more than anything else could. Takaya's hands now halted on Ren's both calves, hoisting them. Ren did let out a tiny gasp, but none of his facial features showed that he actually minded Takaya's treatment.

Hence, Takaya shifted closer, kneeling between Ren's legs and used his own thighs to cushion Ren's lower part whereas his torso leaned atop Ren. Trusting his arms and knees to support his weight, the Nishiura catcher plunged his erect flesh against his partner's most sensual opening. Then, slowly but surely, Takaya's hips surged forward, penetrating his lover in an extensive glide. The lube had done a wonderful job of letting Takaya's manhood slip smoothly inside Ren without further ado.

Ren's both legs were facing upwards. His hips were tilted to meet Takaya's crotch. His back crooked like a crescent moon. His blistered fingers were clutching on Takaya's broad shoulders. Shivering from head to toe at Takaya's solid length buried deeply inside his body, Ren let out a small squeak. He mustn't be too loud; his mother was downstairs.

Takaya gazed concernedly at his lover. He couldn't see Ren's face in his wet dream because they did rear entry sex. Now, however, the dear face was right underneath him, all blushing and shut in the eyes due to both agony and ecstasy.

Takaya had made his boyfriend sitting on top at their previous consummation, so Ren still had had some control about how hard or gentle he had wanted the penetration to be. This time, Ren was at the bottom and Takaya was unsure he would be able to control himself upon seeing Ren's expression during their coupling, hearing Ren's intakes of breath and feeling Ren's delectable skin.

"Aaahh…"

Nevertheless, the pain diminished as Ren's body adapted itself to Takaya's girth. Ren's stiffened muscles gradually relaxed. Takaya's initially slow thrusts grew steadier and more precise as he angled them, ensuring he pressed into Ren's inner sweet spot over and over. Ren's tight clenching sent spasms of pleasure throughout his body as his lover eased in and out, taking him in such an intoxicating rhythm. So delightful that Ren soon found himself locking his legs over Takaya's back and even pressed his partner's butts to encourage deeper penetration.

The stars twinkled in the ethereal firmament, yet far below, two bodies were merging into one. Tonight nothing else mattered for Takaya and Ren as long as they were still in each other's embrace. Never before Takaya felt so ultimately elated, and under the rain of Takaya's trickling sweat, Ren learned the meaning of pure bliss.

"Ta-ah-ka-ahh-ya … I … I —can no longer—aah!"

"Neither can I, Ren."

A delirious moan escaped from Ren's lips when he felt Takaya grow rigid and then exploded inside him. As for Ren, he ejaculated on his and Takaya's torsos; his genital was sandwiched between their stomachs. Ren threw his head back, allowing Takaya to kiss his neck fully. Takaya was embracing him, one hand holding the upper back, the other groping the butt. Their thighs were pressed against each other.

"Takaya…" Ren stroked his lover's hair, sighing pleasurably.

Euphoria enclosed Takaya. Ren had just mentioned his name. Not anyone or anything else. Just him and him only.

As their sated body lay side by side, Takaya hugged Ren and bade him goodnight. In a matter of minutes, the Nishiura's ace pitcher fell asleep in his catcher's embrace with only one thing worrying his mind: after what happened tonight, his other nights were likely to be insipid without Takaya's cuddle.

Takaya, on the other hand, found it hard to sleep. He was not accustomed to have someone else sleep beside him, not even his younger brother. He stared at the bed sheet—all crumpled and doused in sweat and semen. His and Ren's. This made him smile.

Then, he gazed at his lover. Ren was sleeping peacefully, breathing in and out regularly. How he wanted kiss Ren again … but no … this would wake his pitcher. Takaya pondered why he was so preoccupied with concern for this sleeping figure. He remembered how irritated he was by Ren's personality at first: teary, wimpy, cowardice, easily overcome by bus sickness … and yet, the very same Ren also had brought Takaya to tears. Twice, so far.

The first one was at the training camp, just before Nishiura had their practice game with Mihoshi. At that time, Takaya was trying to apply what Momoe taught him to Ren. He held Ren's hand and told him what a good pitcher he was. Ren sobbed, claiming that Takaya was only lying to comfort him. However, as Takaya examined the blisters on Ren's fingers, he realized how hard Ren must have been practicing but his former team mates from Mihoshi Junior High still chased him out of the team without understanding him at all despite his laborious efforts. Since then, Takaya willed to do anything he could to help Ren.

The second time Ren made Takaya cry was during their match against Tosei. Earlier, with the help of Takaya's instruction, Ren managed to take four strikeouts off Tosei. Who'd have thought that a simple "thank you" from Ren's mouth cause tears to emanate from Takaya's eyes? Luckily, Ren was too busy cheering for Nishiura afterwards, so he did not see those tears.

Tears were not the only proof that Ren had touched Takaya's soul. Ren always trusted him with all his heart. He never shook his head to whatever sign Takaya gave him. Had any pitcher, no, _anyone_ in his life, ever trusted him to this extent? Takaya recalled the time Ren had said "I just throw where you tell me to" in spite of Takaya's miscalculation of the opponent's movements. He knew it was trust rather than confidence that made Ren do so. Such pure trust made him happy, but sure demanded high responsibility in return.

As they spent their days together practicing baseball or simply doing homework, Ren's existence had grown into something irreplaceable to Takaya. And before he realized it, he started to think about Ren more than necessary. Although in the beginning he only thought about how to improve their combination on the field, gradually he wondered whether Ren liked some particular food or movies. Then, he searched for excuses to touch Ren's fingers during their practices. After their first make out, he found it agonizing to pass a day without hugging Ren or stroking Ren's silky hair. Abe Takaya had never fallen in love before, but once he fell, the pit of love was too deep to climb over.

Takaya snapped his attention to the present again. Beside him was the peaceful expression of Ren's sleeping face. Smiling, Takaya closed his eyes. He dictated himself to drift into slumber once again and this time his body obliged, fully knowing that he would spend the night with the one he loved like no other.


	3. Graduation Day at Nishiura High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ni literally means "two," but in the context below, it's the Japanese equivalent to "say cheese" when a smile is demanded from the people being photographed (because the –i ending requires the speaker to bare their teeth).

That morning, Mihashi Ren did not ride his bicycle to school, but purposely chose to walk instead. Today was the graduation for him, for his beloved boyfriend, for his baseball teammates, as well as for many other students in his grade. This was the last time he passed the pathway he routinely took to school for three academic years. He wanted to walk slowly, bit by bit, and carve every piece of memory of it in his mind. He would no longer be there tomorrow, after all.

A lot had happened during the last three years. He had found teammates who truly accepted him despite all his weaknesses. He had studied and eaten together with his friends. Their baseball team had been lucky enough to be granted a supportive teacher and coach, and even gone to Koshien. And, at last but not least, he had met the love of his life. Thanks to all of them, high school made his life worth living.

Gazing at the flare of sunrays upon the foliages, Ren pondered, _'School years aren't meant to last a lifetime; every beginning has to end.'_

He had promised himself not to shed a tear. He mustn't be a crybaby forever. He oughtn't stay weak and being dependent to others. He should be glad to have completed his high school education. He had been sorting out his feeling starting since months before. Besides, last weekend he had experienced 'a night to remember' with his most treasured person.

###

Having tidied up his bedroom as much as he could, Ren consulted his list for the fourth time. Bed sheet … check. Music … check. Lighting … check. Snacks … check. Lube and salve … check. Undesirable objects, a.k.a. possible sources of distraction … kept out of sight. The only missing element was the one he had been preparing all these for: Abe Takaya, his boyfriend.

The both of them would graduate the following Wednesday; each would then go to a different university. Tonight would be the last chance he could make love with Takaya. Ren wanted everything to be as perfect as possible. This was achievable since Ren's parents were _conveniently_ attending the wedding of their friend's son in another town, so they would not return home for the night.

That evening, upon Takaya's arrival, Ren kissed him passionately right after closing the door. So eager was Ren that he jostled Takaya onto the wall behind him and captured his boyfriend's lips with his own, their tongues enlacing, until both were out of breath. Ren had always wanted to perform such a _welcoming_ kiss before, but he hadn't been able to, mostly since his mother had usually been at home, though some of the credit for the blame should go to his own shyness.

"Wow…" Takaya remarked through heavy pants, "I never knew you could be this obsessive."

"D-do you hate it?"

"Are you kidding? I love this side of you all the more!"

In accordance with his words, the Nishiura catcher claimed for more. He kissed Ren fully on the mouth again, then continued to Ren's jawline, earlobe and neck, earning him quite a few of Ren's mewls. His hands were stripping Ren's clothes as they sauntered into Ren's room.

In the old times, Takaya would use no seduction to take Ren's clothes off. As time went by, however, he kept on learning. Months after they started dating, he had started to nibble on each button and licked Ren's exposed skin bit by bit before removing the shirt completely. A couple of quick licks on and around Ren's navel would help too. And when Takaya resourcefully used his fingers to caress the fabric of Ren's undergarment, teasing the vertex of Ren's thighs at the same time, he never failed to acquire Ren's flustered gasps. Tonight, the same old techniques still had their merit.

After the both of them were naked, Takaya spread Ren's legs open as far as they could go; knees bent and heels facing the ceiling. He enjoyed the full unobstructed view of his lover's glory and earned Ren's shy glance whenever he did this. While preparing his lover's opening directly with his mouth, his hands roamed on those smooth thighs. Next, he stroked Ren's pubic triangle before playing with the pair of berries and the stem to which they were attached.

As always, Ren's lower hole dribbled when Takaya's tongue rimmed it so teasingly and thoroughly. As always too, Ren's entire body shivered upon skin contact with Takaya's inebriating fingers. And as always still, his stomach churned when Takaya's saliva fused with his own liquid.

In their earliest intercourses, in their first high school year, Ren had protested, "Get away from there, Takaya! That's dirty!" but Takaya had only glanced at him with a smirk and continued his "dirty work" as though digging some priceless treasure. Now Ren had given up telling Takaya to quit, but his boyfriend still treated every drop of his liquid as a priceless treasure and smirked at the mere sight of his bashful expression.

Long foreplay was nothing new to them; Takaya wouldn't enter Ren until he was completely relaxed—body and soul. Along with the squelches that his body made while Takaya was drinking his body liquid, Ren's toes curled up. As much as he would not admit it, the sight of Takaya's face emerging from in-between the curves of his crotch had become Ren's personal favorite view.

"Takaya…" Ren gasped his beloved's name in a tremulous whisper. It was just a single word, but that single word conveyed everything that Takaya needed to know: Ren was ready for him.

Tilting Ren's both legs and supporting them with his own kneeling limbs, Takaya bent and delegated his hands to comfort Ren's inner thighs. He had seen and even tasted the apex of those thighs for several times now, and yet … there was something irresistible about Ren. It remained a mystery to Takaya why every time he parted Ren's thighs, passion coiled within him. No exception.

"Ren…"

Takaya could not stand it any longer. Beneath him, there was a whimper he was intrigued to hear … there was some flesh he was eager to fondle … there was a crevice he craved to plunge…

Takaya pushed his erection into his lover. Ren's inner tunnel had been slick enough, so Takaya's length could glide with ease as it burrowed inwards. Thanks to their years of experience, Takaya could even tell that Ren's current groan contained pain and ecstasy in 3:7 ratio; the level of Ren's gripping tightness on his arm and the level of Ren's laborious panting confirmed that.

With nobody at home except for themselves, there was no need for Ren to hold back his sighs of pleasure. The same went to Takaya; he could go all the way with Ren's mind and body tonight. And he _did_. The bed underneath their bodies was creaking violently.

"Ta … ka … ya … aah!"

How Takaya loved hearing his name pronounced in such sultry way! While clutching on his partner's calves, he continued his rhythm; crotch collided upon crotch. The number of experiences with his lover had granted him wisdom on when his penetrations should be shallow and when they ought to be deep, as well as the different length of time needed for each thrust to keep the both of them satisfied.

During these three years, regardless of no matter how many times they made love, Ren couldn't help blushing at the squelching sound when Takaya's member went in and out his private fissure. His chest inflated and deflated rapidly. His hips moved in synchronized rhythm with Takaya's penetrations. Only Abe Takaya and Abe Takaya alone could make him feel so vulnerable and yet, at the same time, so badly needed despite this vulnerability.

' _Takaya, next week we'll be worlds apart…'_

Takaya noticed Ren's grieving expression. "Are you okay? Is your back hurt?" Takaya asked earnestly, his eyes filled with passion and compassion.

' _How can I not love you through and through if you're this kind, Takaya?'_ Ren managed to force a smile on his face and replied "I'm okay," but deep inside his heart, he knew he was crying. ' _Why must I let you go?'_

"We can always change to a more comfortable position, you know," his boyfriend said again.

"It's okay, really," he gave his answer to the figure between his thighs.

"Ren…" Takaya hoisted one of Ren's legs higher and, with a jolt, he pressed inwards, thrusting deeper into the Nishiura's ace pitcher's body.

"Aah!" Ren could not suppress his moan due to the abruptness of Takaya's invasion. His entire body shuddered. His hands were reaching for his lover, eager to cling on.

Nevertheless, Takaya was the one who pulled him into his embrace and positioned Ren on his lap, sitting, impaled from below, almost like how they first made love nearly three years before.

' _So this is how he ends this? Just like how he started it?'_

Panting heavily, Ren fumbled his arms around his boyfriend's back. If his breath were steamy, Takaya's gazes were fiery. He could feel his lover's rapid heartbeat as they bonded, united, joined in flesh and spirit, two bodies melt into one.

' _Your movements inside me … I don't want them to end.'_

Ren opened himself up, his body consuming more and more of his boyfriend's length. Yet, this was not enough. He wrapped his legs around Takaya's hips and drew Takaya deeper toward him, his ankles pressing against the small of Takaya's back. He wanted to touch all of Takaya.

' _What must I do so that we can stay together like this forever, Takaya?'_

Takaya pulled back to leave just the head of his arousal inside and then thrust firmly back so his thudded against the bountiful flesh of Ren's rear mounds. The Nishiura ace catcher repeated the action, then gave a flurry of short, sharp snaps of his hips. He varied his movements, refusing to let his boyfriend anticipate what would come next.

As the bucking of their hips grew wilder, the sweat on their temples ran down their faces. Pleasure took them to new heights. With Takaya's final, feral jab inside Ren's clenching channel, orgasm thundered through them. The backdraft building inside their bodies erupted in twin explosions. One gushed inside Ren whereas the other spurted on Takaya's torso. Both bodies were trembling as their rigidity gave away. Still, their arms embraced each other and their lips locked in a long lingering kiss.

Even after the kiss completed, Ren made no attempt to detach himself from Takaya. Hence, with his flesh still inside his lover, Takaya groped Ren's butts and pulled him. Now Takaya lay supine on the bed with Ren on top. This was not a matter of ejaculation anymore, but each still wanted to feel the other a little longer.

Ren stared at the arms that embraced him, the reliable arms that had been catching the balls he pitched for three years, the gentle arms that belonged to the boy beneath him. Takaya was his first love, the only love interest he had ever had so far and possibly the last one, as well.

' _Takaya…'_

Ren shifted so that he could kiss Takaya. His kisses were like those of a young bird longing to be fed by its mother. Light. Iterated. Urgent with hunger. Little by little, their rods started to bulge out again.

' _Takaya…'_

Riding his boyfriend, Ren started shaking his tumbled like rain from Ren's face and body. The flush on his face was getting redder each time Takaya hit his prostate. The other boy still gazed at him with the same ardent look through incessant panting. Soon, Ren found his lips taken and his mouth devoured as his lover's hips drove into him with fast, deep strokes.

' _Takaya, if I never met you, I wouldn't have known how fascinating love could be…'_ "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

With the scene of utter white spreading in their mind upon reaching climax once again, Takaya pressed his fingers on his lover's rear. He sank fully inside, securing the connection between both bodies until his seminal fluid journeyed far into the Ren's channel of flesh.

'… _Sayonara!'_

Ren's arched torso collapsed onto Takaya's once again. He wanted to spend his last night with his beloved sleeping in his embrace. Soon, Sleep enclosed them with its mighty pennons, though not before his beloved boyfriend had peppered his face and the side of his neck with little kisses.

###

Ren arrived at the Nishiura High schoolyard. This morning all third year students would be attending their graduation ceremony in the assembly hall. On the way to the hall, he stopped briefly at a particular tree. Here, the year before, he and Takaya had made out when the rest of the students had gone home. Takaya had pushed him onto the tree trunk and taken him from behind.

"Ah!" Takaya's left hand had slipped underneath Ren's shirt without unbuttoning it and fondled Ren's torso whereas his right hand had been stroking Ren's shaft.

"Ahh!" Takaya's eyes had been transfixed upon Ren's furled entrance, which had been puckering and stretching in alternating sequence to welcome his member's recurrent intrusion and withdrawal.

"Aaaahh!" Takaya's hips had kept on bucking, pumping himself deeper into Ren's wobbly body and culminating with spurts of semen inside Ren's private tunnel.

"Haa!" Takaya had licked Ren's lower part clean afterwards—rear and front—yanking one of his legs.

' _Takaya, I love you … so much.'_

###

"Mihashi, what are you doing there? Hurry up!" Mizutani walked passed him.

Ren jerked from his nostalgic recollection and resumed his steps toward the assembly hall. This hall was by no means unfamiliar to all students, for they normally have P.E. on weekly basis there. It made Ren wonder why a few festoon and ribbon decorations and a banner saying 'Congratulations on Graduating' made him feel as though this crowded hall had been a desolate place.

There, rows upon rows of chairs lay in array. Students were supposed to sit in groups, according to their assigned classes. Soon the graduation ceremony commenced. A certain sorrow—not unexpected, but remained unavoidable—spread across Ren's inner chest: Takaya was sitting right next to him, and yet, an invisible wall had separated them; he was so close, yet so far at the same time. Takaya did say that he would be the catcher for all of Ren's games for three years. He had kept his words and those three years were over now.

Occasionally Ren stole glances at his boyfriend, wishfully thinking he could keep Takaya forever. But when their eyes did meet, he quickly averted his gaze from Takaya with cheeks burning as red as embers. Takaya smiled and held Ren's hand in his own.

Ren glimpsed at Takaya's second button. It was a tradition, especially for girls, to keep the second button of one's beloved's school uniform after graduation. He was actually embarrassed to ask Takaya about this, but eventually made up his mind to do so later.

In the mean time, while the headmaster delivered his speech, Ren couldn't help fantasizing the deed.

###

"Takaya, may I keep your second button as a memento?"

"Instead of just my second button, why won't you have all of me, Ren?" With these words, Takaya would pound him onto a desk in their empty classroom.

While his lips were engaging Ren's in a long-lingering passionate kiss, his deft fingers would unbutton Ren's shirt one by one and unzip Ren's trousers. As he removed Ren's trousers, his kiss would trail downwards, brushing Ren's neck, chest, diaphragm, navel, thigh—yes, Takaya would intentionally skip ' _that_ ' part in order to save the best for last. Then, with one hand to explore Ren's torso and the other to lower Ren's underwear, Takaya's mouth would get back to what he skipped earlier.

Seated on the desk, Ren would find Takaya's head between his inner thighs, smooching and sucking his erection. Tipping his head back, Ren would snake his fingers into the thicket of Takaya's hair and groan his lover's name in ecstasy.

Takaya would smirk, get up and tilt him by both thighs before shoving himself inside Ren's furnace-like hole. To and fro he would invade, in and out he would go, jactitating Ren. Adjusting with time, he would create a comfortable pace for them both. Ren's mouth he would also silence with perennial kisses, since it would be troublesome if the uke should moan loudly at school.

Ren would encircle his legs around Takaya, pressing Takaya's buttocks with his heels to encourage his seme to go even deeper inside him. His hands would cling tightly to his boyfriend; he would not let go! Takaya was his happiness, his world, his everything…

###

Ren shook his head to send his flight of the imagination away. He ought not to live in dreams. Furthermore, the classroom would not be empty; many students would take their pictures there.

The graduation ceremony was over while he was busy with his castle in the air. His time with Takaya was up. Why couldn't he spend their last moment more wisely? Sighing, he went out from the hall, along with the rest of the students.

The baseball club members took their pictures together in the baseball field, in front of the mound Ren loved so much. Their time was up. They had contributed all they could for their beloved school. For three years, they had shed sweat and shared enthusiasm together. Now it was time to pass the baton to their underclassmen. Koshien had always been the aim for baseball players all across Japan and would always be.

The ex-pitcher tried his best to smile although anguish was gnawing his heart. His teammates were only inches away from him, yet somehow it felt as though they had been miles away already.

No one failed to notice Shinooka wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes before pressing her camera's shutter release button. Trying to get rid of all the sad thoughts from her mind, she asked her teammates to smile, "What's one plus one?"

" _Ni_ ," the baseball team members answered with a big grin on their faces, and the moment of them smiling was eternalized into a picture.

When it was time for them to part ways, Takaya halted Hanai. "For the three years of leadership, of sharing the hardship and joy, for everything that you've done to our team, thank you very much. You've been a good captain." Takaya bowed. The rest of the team immediately followed.

"Guys, I've been the luckiest captain in the world to have you as teammates," beamed Hanai, "Good luck and take care!"

That day, as Hanai turned to leave, his back somehow seemed bigger than usual. Yet, he was not alone; Tajima came for him soon after with his trademark grin.

How Ren envied them! Unlike Takaya and him, they would attend the same university, after all. Sighing, Ren slipped himself into the baseball clubroom.

"Finally," he murmured while brushing his fingers to its bench, "The time has come."

So many memories had been carved here. The white board, for instance, still bore Coach Momo's handwriting. Tajima had once drawn two girls playing each other's boobs there, but immediately erased it before Shinooka came in. His permanent masterpiece—a small doodle of a nude girl—lingered at one corner of the wall, concealed by a table.

Ren pictured their after-practice session. ' _Shinooka-san passed us towels and water bottles. Oki-kun, Nishihiro-kun, Mizutani-kun, Suyama-kun, Izumi-kun, Sakaeguchi-kun, and the rest of the team members, made up from first and second year students, were all listening intently to what Momoe-kantoku had to say. Tajima-kun spilled his drink and Hanai-kun handed him his towel. Shiga-sensei was standing on the side, smiling slightly. And Takaya… At weekends, Takaya waited until the rest of the team went home and then, in either the empty clubroom or the shower room, we made out.'_

Even now, Ren still remembered the sensation of the glistening waters on his body: the shower … his sweat … Takaya's sweat … the shower … his semen … Takaya's semen … the shower… How their bodies had been merging into one … how Takaya's warmth had been enveloping him more tepidly than the hot water from the shower … how their undulating breaths had been racing from the ocean of passion … how each thrust had been stirring indescribable pleasure within him … how his groans and Takaya's intense gaze had been fusing … how each tingling kiss had been soothing his pain … how his boyfriend's gentle hands had always been there for him—to hold, to shelter, to help, to tease, to give, to catch, to trust. Perennially throughout their three years of relationship thus far.

Ren moved to approach Takaya's locker. It had been emptied, of course, but somehow, being in contact with something related to Takaya gave Ren the feeling of Takaya's presence. The longer Ren gazed at the locker and touched its door, the more vivid his imagination of Takaya became. He could even picture Takaya coming through the door, but wearing his school uniform instead of baseball gear. His second button—no, all of his buttons—were still intact.

"I thought you'd be here," remarked the ace catcher.

' _Oh no, this is the_ real _Takaya! What should I do? What if I start crying on his shoulder?'_ Takaya's presenceturned Ren from daydreaming into panic state. Nevertheless, he braced himself to stay as calm as possible. Taking a deep breath, the ace pitcher extended his arm for a handshake. "Takaya, I'm glad to have met you."

' _Hold my hand for the last time and then I'll let you go_. _Thank you for all the memories; I'll be sure to treasure them all my life, my love_.'

Ren had been rehearsing this scene several times in front of his bedroom and bathroom mirrors, but when it did happen, he still felt the urge to let tears roll from the corner of his eyes. The wild beating of his heart was beyond his power to control. The voice within him cried: ' _I want to hug you so badly, Takaya_.'

Takaya grasped Ren's hand tightly, refusing to let go. Before his lover said anything, he even pulled him into an ardent embrace and whispered next to his ear, "Ren, marry me. Please."

There was no hesitation in Takaya's voice, but his body did quiver. At the sound of this sentence, Ren's eyes widened and breath was caught in his throat. The tears that he had kept on restraint _did_ slip at last. Although Takaya could not see Ren's face, of which chin was leaning on his shoulder, he could guess as much the moment the hot liquid dripped onto his uniform.

"Won't you spend the rest of your life with me?" Takaya spoke again in a more urgent, more pleading tone.

"B-but Takaya ... the Japanese law doesn't legalize same sex marriage."

"That's why we're getting married in the U.S.—if you agree, that is."

"America? Although some of its states allow same-sex marriage, we can't afford the travel and accommodation fees."

"Which is why we will be working in a luxury cruise. That way, we needn't worry about how to get there. Look at this!" Takaya pulled himself from the embrace to rummage his schoolbag and handed Ren a sheet of paper.

"This ship here needs cleaners, kitchen staff and porters. Plus, there'll be some days off for the employees when it lands," explained Takaya as Ren perused the brochure.

Tears kept falling from Ren's eyes as he read every sentence.

Takaya went on, "We can't stay in a five-star hotel, though; I've used up my saving for this." He extended a small black velvet box.

Hand covering his mouth, Ren gasped, "I-it can't be…"

Takaya offered no more word, but he gestured Ren to open the box, and so his lover obliged.

The interior of the box was covered with white satin molded to form twin vales separated by two slits, on which perched a gold ring. The pair of rings was modest in design, but engraved with little icons of a mitt, a ball and a bat. The inner part of the rings bore their names followed by the phrase "Together Forever."

Takaya never asked for Ren's finger measurement, but judging from how often he massaged them after practices and kissed them for no apparent reason in daily life, it was not unexpected that he could get a fair idea on Ren's size.

For more than one full minute Ren fell speechless, but tears kept streaming from his eyes like two rivers. Only after Takaya had wiped the leaking droplets on his cheeks and chin did Ren manage to speak, "How long … have you prepared … all these?"

"I started saving for the ring a month after we first went out. The cruise stuff only came up three weeks ago, though."

"Y-you mean … you've been considering of marrying me since we were in our first year? That's just … just…"

"Absurd?" His boyfriend finished his sentence for him.

But Ren shook his head. More tears drenched his cheeks. "Touching."

"Does this mean 'yes'?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes … yes … yes … yes…" Ren repeated his answer perennially, throwing his arms to encircle his beloved's neck. 'Takaya … oh Takaya!'

"I love you, Ren."

"And I, you, Takaya."

They shared another kiss—a kiss that sealed their destiny together as two initial strangers who had woven a new path of life into an intertwining course. Their high school years had ended, but the next stage of their love life was yet to begin.

OWARI


End file.
